By John Kelly
ELLIE Scotney expects to “sleep like a baby” the night before the biggest fight of her career – as she said she is ready to “change my life” in her world super-bantamweight title unification bout on Saturday.
IBF title holder Scotney, 26, fights unbeaten 30-year-old Segolene Lefebvre, who has the WBO belt, at the Manchester Arena.
Scotney has won all eight of her professional fights but faces the more experienced Lefebvre who has an 18-0 record.
Catford’s Scotney will be supported by her family in Manchester. It was her mum’s birthday was on Thursday.
Scotney described her pre-fight routine.
“To be honest, you sleep like a baby because you’ve got a stomach full of carbs. It’s probably the best sleep you’ll get, the work’s been done,” Scotney told southlondon.co.uk.
“I spend time with the people that are closest to me. I put a bit of Orlando Canizales on YouTube, eat my pasta, say a prayer and get into bed!
“The amount of pressure from the outside world is nowhere near what I put on myself. My mum puts more pressure on me! Im used to it. It’s the moment you live for. As soon as that bell goes you come alive and I really believe that ring is my home.”
Like a lot of boxers, Scotney has strong religious faith and she admits her career is all-consuming.
“I’ll be honest, and people would probably say it too, I don’t really ever switch off,” Scotney said. “It’s boxing, it’s family, I’m a big believer in faith. They are my three little go-to’s. They all kind of merge into one. My family live and love boxing. My faith keeps me on track with boxing, trusting the journey on God’s time. My switch-off is a switch-on, in a weird way.
“Even in life a lot of people turn to their religion in their last moments. Especially with boxing, I believe we are all chosen to do something in that ring. I feel like I’m not getting in there on my own. It’s a blessing and to live that blessing is amazing.”
Australian star Ebanie Bridges, who has over 350,000 followers, said on X she felt the fight is “flying under the radar”.
“It’s a massive fight, unification, and we’re two undefeated fighters,” Scotney said. “I think it’s massive and you should get recognised for that. But I feel like me going out Saturday night and putting in the performance that I know I can and coming out as unified champion, then I’ll get my flowers.”
Boxing is in Scotney’s family. She has a sister and five brothers, one of whom, Michael, was her inspiration growing up.
She said: “Five boys, two girls, I’m the baby – so I had to box, I guess! One of my brothers used to box. I would follow him round as a nine-year-old and he would come up short [in a fight] and he would just never seem bothered. I’d cry my eyes out, kick the doors because he’d lost. I idolised him, I wanted to be like my brother. I’m lucky I had the right role models around me.”
Scotney knows she’s now the one kids look up to.
“In the public workout I had a little girl from Manchester, she’s got ringside seats on Saturday night and just seeing what it means to her…it’s not just girls, you get young boys messaging you, ‘you’re good at boxing’. It’s kind of what we’re in boxing for, to break those barriers, it’s not just little girls, it’s also little boys looking up to you and thinking, ‘one day I can be like Ellie Scotney’.
“Especially in Catford, you walk around and people go, ‘oh, you’re the boxer’, and they see me getting on the train so they know I’m no different to them. It is refreshing and it makes me carry that postcode more proudly.”
Her opponent may be more experienced, but Scotney knows what she has to do this weekend.
“Just to be myself, the best Ellie Scotney beats her and comes out as unified world champion. I know it’s a hard task ahead of me but I’m prepared and I’m ready to change my life on Saturday night.”
